Am I that unlucky?

I just deconstructed a maxed out level 60 bow on my hunter with over 1,000,000 points of xp and got back only a 300k xp rune plus some relics and then I decontructed a maxed out level 40 second hand weapon with over 600k xp and got back a 87k xp rune and relics.

Is getting this little of my original LI xp back after decon typical?

I spent months grinding xp to get these weapons to max level only to be sorely disappointed in the amount of xp returned!

Is there an optimum time to decon to get the most xp back or is it totally random and I just got ripped on these (my first two decons)?

Yeah, looks like the old random number generator pooted out snake-eyes for you, so yes, just bad luck.
There's a range of possible heritage rune values based on the item-equip-level and the legendary
advancement level.

The best time to deconstruct legendaries is on the "onesies", so 11, 21, 31, 41, etc.
You get the same range of potential rune sizes for 11-20, 21-30, etc, so there's no value in waiting
one more level, only in waiting 10 more levels. That said, you will get higher-tier runes for each
onesie barrier you cross, so there's a trade-off.

I generally decon my "feeder" legendaries at 11 or 21 if I'm carrying more Rusted Dwarf Tools or
Khuzdul tablets (or whatever) and can quickly replace them. If a feeder legendary has a legacy
that I want to keep, then I'll hold out to 31 (which is the level at which you get to keep a legacy).

The best time to deconstruct legendaries is on the "onesies", so 11, 21, 31, 41, etc.
You get the same range of potential rune sizes for 11-20, 21-30, etc, so there's no value in waiting
one more level, only in waiting 10 more levels.

Except for LIs with a required level of 66 or higher, at which point level 60 gives you a higher tier.
That's just what I've heard though, haven't tested that myself. The rule of ones is usually a good one to follow either way.

Except for LIs with a required level of 66 or higher, at which point level 60 gives you a higher tier.
That's just what I've heard though, haven't tested that myself. The rule of ones is usually a good one to follow either way.

The thread is a good read, but there's a lot of back and forth, so do read the whole thread.

Thank you for the link above. I remember reading this thread when it first came out and was under the impression that reaching level 60 on ANY LI yielded the highest amount of ixp on decon. But it seems now that that is not entirely true. It seems to ONLY apply to legendary items whose use level is above 65. Now that i have this information i will decon all my current LIs at 21, 31, 41 and 51 (depending on where they are currently leveled) just to see what i get i guess?

But i do have another question, can a legacy acquired from a decon be applied to another weapon that has the same legacy in order to increase the tier level? (i.e., tier 2 legacy from decon added to a tier 1 legacy on another LI to get a tier 3?)

But i do have another question, can a legacy acquired from a decon be applied to another weapon that has the same legacy in order to increase the tier level? (i.e., tier 2 legacy from decon added to a tier 1 legacy on another LI to get a tier 3?)

Nope. The best thing to do if you get a T1 legacy is to replace it with any legacy, and then replace that new legacy with the legacy you just got rid of.

I'm going to assume you're a hunter, because everyone has a hunter.
Your Precision Crit Multiplier legacy identifies as a T1 legacy. You would replace that legacy with any other major legacy (remember to replace majors with majors, or you'll lose that major), and then you'd apply a new Precision Crit Multiplier legacy on top of that new legacy, bringing it to T2.

T2 is the highest you can get with legacy replacement, you'll need to use Scrolls of Empowerment to get it higher.

Nope. The best thing to do if you get a T1 legacy is to replace it with any legacy, and then replace that new legacy with the legacy you just got rid of.

I'm going to assume you're a hunter, because everyone has a hunter.
Your Precision Crit Multiplier legacy identifies as a T1 legacy. You would replace that legacy with any other major legacy (remember to replace majors with majors, or you'll lose that major), and then you'd apply a new Precision Crit Multiplier legacy on top of that new legacy, bringing it to T2.

T2 is the highest you can get with legacy replacement, you'll need to use Scrolls of Empowerment to get it higher.

A month ago, when I built my warden's LI, I was able to replace a tier 1 legacy with a scroll of the same name. This is something they changed at some point quietly. If it's tier 1, it can be replaced with a scroll of the same name. Since the scroll gives a tier 2 they aren't considered to be the same anymore (thankfully).